Hello Autumn, Goodbye Tomatoes
My favorite season of the year is here and with it, my questioning of why Florida refuses to have a single tree to symbolize the most rewarding time of the year. Autumn is a reminder that what you reap, you will sow in due time. It is also a beautiful depiction of why it is so liberating to let things go. It’s been almost 5 years since the release of my devotional, Heaven’s Kitchen and while a lot has changed, the heartbeat behind my book has not. I am still very much waiting. Honestly, some days, I don’t even feel like I am waiting. I have let the dust settle on a dream that feels very far removed from my daily life. However, new dreams and hopes have propagated and I have been learning to embrace the troughs and crests of every wave crashing against me. As much as I have tried to escape the Lord’s grasp in those chaotic waters, He never lets go. He is consistent. I fall, He picks me back up with His righteous right hand. I grieve, He collects the tears. I sleep, and he wakes me in the morning with breath in my lungs.
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease. ”
He is consistent. And so every year, fall comes and my hopeful excitement returns because God proves himself true yet again- The seasons change but He remains the same.
As we let go of summer, we savor the fruit it brings us…like tomatoes. In Italy, (aka my favorite place ever) preserving tomatoes is a cherished tradition that allows people to enjoy the bright flavors of an Italian cuisine staple throughout the year. They can them, dry them in the sun, make them into sauces and pastes. Letting go can be a celebration. Letting go can prepare room for the harvest that’s coming. Consequently the grape harvest takes place in the fall. You know what that means- wine, a symbol of joy and blessing. Autumn also ushers in the olive harvest, and you know what that means- oil, a symbol of blessing, healing, and God’s provision. Both sacred and practical in their significance, both expected every year at the same time. We say “goodbye” to some things but “hello” to others. God is faithful.
To celebrate this new season, I made Lasagna Soup …with canned tomatoes of course. Florida may not be welcoming in fall weather but there is still nothing more comforting than a warm, hearty meal to mark the beginning of autumn. This lasagna soup is the perfect way to bring the rich, comforting flavors of traditional Lasagna—without all the layering. With tender pasta, flavorful Italian veal sausage, and a velvety tomato broth, this dinner is a warm hug in a bowl. It will taste as if though it was made in heaven’s kitchen…
